Chapter 576 [Live like the person you hate the most]
Time flies, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye.
From 1991 to early 1994, the Hong Kong government continued to formulate and improve measures to stabilize property prices and combat speculation. The main contents include:
Buyers must pay 5% of the property price as deposit;
Limit internal subscription ratio to less than 50%;
A 2.75% stamp fee is levied on resale of off-the-plan properties;
Reduce the mortgage rate for residential properties from 90% to 70%;
levy profits tax on investors who frequently buy and sell properties;
Increase the penalty for early redemption of mortgage loans to HK$50,000 or 3% of the property price;
Reduce the mortgage rate for residential properties above HK$5 million to 50%.
etc.
The measures were not without severity, but had little effect.
First, real estate developers generally believe that controls are too strict and are not conducive to the development of the property market;
Secondly, real estate developers secretly collude with certain banks to increase mortgage ratios without authorization;
Thirdly, the Hong Kong government was incompetent in the implementation process and was suspected of taking the lead in raising prices (by auctioning official land while the price was high).
As a result, property prices have become higher and higher due to speculation, reaching a point that buyers cannot afford.
While public opinion criticized real estate developers and speculators, it also severely criticized the Hong Kong government.
The 8th issue of "Hong Kong and Macau Today" in 1994 pointed out: "From the perspective of the Hong Kong government, the higher the land auction price, the greater the warehouse income. Taking last year as an example, the annual income from land sales and land premium due to change of use reached 42.2 billion.
Hong Kong dollars, plus property-related income, such as rates, land taxes, stamp duties, real estate company profits tax, etc., account for almost 70% of the total revenue of the Hong Kong government. Therefore, government land auctions are often chosen when the real estate market is the best.
At that time, it actually contributed to the rise in land and building prices. For real estate developers, no matter how high land prices are, they will eventually be passed on to consumers."
Real estate developers have reiterated many times that too many controls will cause a depression in the property market.
Real estate developers have seized on the Hong Kong government's weaknesses, so the Hong Kong government keeps saying it is cracking down, but it has never really struck hard.
"Express" and "Economic Daily" published articles on February 2 and 3, 1994, commenting on the tightening of residential mortgage loans by HSBC and Hang Seng Bank.
"The current increase in property prices in Hong Kong has been like a runaway horse. Even sandwich families (middle-class families) with a monthly income of tens of thousands can only hope to find a home. At the same time, the skyrocketing property prices have made the gap between the rich and the poor even wider. 'Buy a home and live in peace.'
For the general public, it has gradually become a 'myth'. In order to maintain stability and prosperity in Hong Kong, it is necessary to curb property prices, but we must do it right and find a root cause. The root cause should be to increase land supply and build new buildings in large quantities.
Public housing.”
The Hong Kong government has always been ambivalent about releasing official land into the market; a large increase in land supply will help stabilize land and property prices. However, the Hong Kong government's land will not be able to sell at high prices, which will inevitably reduce fiscal revenue.
What the Hong Kong government hopes is to "wait for a high price before putting the stock on sale."
"Short supply and intense speculation have become a pair of weirdos. On the one hand, the market is in short supply, leading to intense speculation; on the other hand, the intense speculation leads to an increase in vacant units, which in turn aggravates the market's shortage of supply, forming a vicious cycle.
The property market has continued to rise."
Public opinion turned in favor of real estate developers.
Real estate developers have spoken out one after another, accusing the government of not selling the land it owns and of hoarding it in strange areas.
Kwok Bing-kiang (the second son of Kwok Tak-sheng) of SHKP Corporation publicly stated: "The high property prices are not insufficient, it is just the government's repurposing of the plans and the bureaucratic procedures that are dragging people to death."
Chief Secretary (the highest chief executive after the Governor) Anson Chan hurriedly expressed his position, claiming that the Hong Kong government would increase the supply of land.
The Consumer Council, which is affiliated with the government, speaks for the government, accusing real estate developers of not selling the properties they own and hoarding them in strange areas.
Legislative Council member Emily Lau scolded the government for its help, criticizing the Hong Kong government for enriching several real estate developers and being unable to do anything to stabilize property prices.
Councilor Zhang Wenguang bluntly condemned more than 10 real estate developers for joining forces to control the land and property market: "If you own land, you can't build a building; if you build a building, you don't sell the building; selling the building means speculation, and speculation turns into an empty building."
Developers are most afraid of rumors of "market creation" and have fought back one after another.
Even Li Chaoren, who does not express his position easily, angrily said: "Recently, gentlemen from all sides have accused real estate developers of hoarding real estate and not (not) selling it, and taking the lead in driving up property prices. This is not (unfair), and it is related to the government's involvement in a group of properties."
Once the property contract is signed, the developer will sell the property, and there is no such thing as developers joining forces to manipulate the market."
The war of words reached the Gao Dynasty between March and April 1994.
This extremely barren phenomenon cannot be tolerated any longer!
Monday, April 11, 1994.
In the office of New Era Group, Lin Zuhui put down the newspaper in his hand, feeling a little uncomfortable.
He used to be deeply disgusted by real estate developers for inflating housing prices, and he was also deeply dissatisfied with the team that protected the real estate economy.
At that time, he looked at the empty real estate in the city and thought to himself: Why is the price per square meter so high when the vacancy rate is so high?
He wanted to change his house from a small house to a big house, but he didn't change it for five or six years. Every day he expected the house price to fall to the same price as cabbage. As a result, the price of cabbage increased, but the price of the house did not drop much.
after all.
He lived his life as the kind of person he hated most.
Soon, he comforted himself that the high housing prices in Xiangjiang were by no means the main fault of real estate developers, and factors were involved in various aspects.
The Hong Kong government and real estate speculators are the culprits.
As for the Hong Kong government, more than 70% of its finances depend on normalcy. They are extremely conflicted;
As for real estate speculators, Xiangjiang people are addicted to gambling and can speculate on anything.
The expression on Lin Zuhui's face changed, then he picked up the phone and dialed a number.
After a while, Chen Bin, the president of New Era Group, came to his office respectfully.
"boss"
"Sit first"
After he sat down, Lin Zuhui said: "Can the company increase the supply of housing and strive to provide more than 6,000 units per year?"
Chen Bin nodded and said: "No problem, increasing supply by 10% is not a problem for us."
Lin Zuhui felt a little pain in his heart, and then said: "We all make money from whether the housing prices are high or low. Doing business requires goods to rotate, and we must strive for better performance year after year. Housing price adjustments are inevitable, but in my opinion,
The transaction volume this year will not be sluggish, so it can be regarded as a comparative market. Next year, not only prices will be adjusted, but also transactions will be deserted. At that time, real estate developers will only cut prices and promote promotions. You should take good care of it and don't let others take advantage of us.
.”
Chen Bin nodded. The noise outside was so fierce this time, and the boss, as the largest real estate developer, was a living target.
"Okay, as long as we increase the supply, once the properties are approved by the Hong Kong government, they will start selling, and others will have nothing to say."
“Remember to resume the construction of real estate projects to avoid subsequent supply shortage.”
"Um"
We can only increase supply to comfort ourselves.
In fact, even if house prices fall by 20% and there is a large amount of supply on the market, those "wait-and-seeers" still won't buy or change houses, and their fate has been fixed in their thinking.
North Point, Media Building.
Lin Zuhui came to the game development department of Wanhui Media. The person in charge, Zhou Kaiyang, accompanied him and introduced him.
"Boss, our game department currently has a total of 52 people, mainly divided into three project groups: Pokémon, Resident Evil, and Legend. Local employees account for 60%, and they all have good professional qualifications."
Of course, the three game projects were personally selected by Lin Zuhui.
He is most familiar with "Legend" and has almost completed most of the planning of the game. As long as the technology is available, it will be OK. Of course, due to the insufficient development of the Internet, "Legend" will be released as a stand-alone version first to seize the copyright.
"Resident Evil" brought the script to the game department, and "Pokémon" was adapted from the anime.
Lin Zuhui said with satisfaction: "Your game department is full of talents, including elites from the United States and Japan, as well as talents from the local and mainland. Do you know why I am so high-profile, no matter the cost?"
Such huge human resources are unimaginable for game studios in the United States and Japan. It is simply a waste of money. Taking Blizzard Entertainment as an example before it was acquired, there were only 6 shrimps in total.
Zhou Kaiyang is a talent hired from Silicon Valley in the United States. At first, he was also very curious whether the starting point of the game department was too high. After all, most companies develop from small to large, but Wanhui Media’s game department has no products or experience.
, began to recruit talents on a large scale, and the salary that needed to be paid this year was 10 to 20 million, which was simply a waste of resources.
After some time, he learned about the development history of Wanhui Media and the legend of Lin Zuhui, and he understood that the boss was setting up a big plan, which was to 'establish a cultural base'.
As far as he knows, the boss's efforts in cultivating talents in various universities and colleges in Hong Kong are already huge; not to mention, the boss has also promoted the legislation of many 'cultural' industries. From this point of view, that is
The boss is building an industrial chain for Xiangjiang, which is what the government should do.
Zhou Kaiyang said with admiration: "It was the boss who saw the prospects of this industry, and then hoped that our company would lead the vigorous development of the game industry in Xiangjiang, so that Xiangjiang would become an important place for the game industry."
Lin Zuhui nodded with satisfaction and said: "Actually, Xiangjiang has a strong foundation in the technology industry. In the late 1980s, our electronics industry exports reached 58 billion yuan, and electronic products are produced and sold. However, with the development of the mainland in recent years,
These industries are slowly moving to the mainland. However, the game and software industries are different. Xiangjiang still has a lot of potential for survival. In addition, Xiangjiang is located in a place where Chinese and Western cultures exchange and is well connected. We have no shortage of talents, and our export efficiency is higher than
Any country or region is more efficient, so I am very optimistic about this industry."
Xiangjiang itself is not weak in the technology industry, but it has an unfinished industrial chain, which has weakened the competitiveness of the technology industry. However, the game industry and software industry are still very suitable for Xiangjiang.
Zhou Kaiyang said: "Well, boss, don't worry, we will definitely bring out the classic works to speak."
Lin Zuhui said: "Time is not urgent, but the quality must be classic. To put it bluntly, this year is the company's running-in period. Even if it invests 100 million a year, Wanhui Media can not blink an eye. But the key issue is that you have to give
I brought in a team of talented people because the gaming industry has just begun."
"No problem, we will definitely be worthy of the company's investment."
Each of the three games selected by Lin Zuhui is a classic, so he must personally supervise them and only sell them after the quality is excellent.
These three games are just appetizers. When the time comes, there will be better planning, which can be handed over to this department.
Coming to the "Pokémon" project team, Lin Zuhui asked again: "Is Nintendo interested in this game?"
Zhou Kaiyang said: "They encouraged and supported us to develop this game, but they did not provide technical support. They did not pay enough attention to us. They probably thought that we could not develop high-quality products. However, they proposed that they purchase "Elf"
It seems that they are willing to pay a high price for the game rights to "Kemon"."
Lin Zuhui sneered and said: "There will be times when they beg us! The GB game console did not have any technical advantages at the beginning of its development, and sales plummeted in the past two years. We do not need to pay attention to them, but "Pokémon" emphasized
The main thing is the fun of communication battles. There is currently no such game on the market, so it is the most difficult to develop.”
The GB game console is Nintendo's handheld console, and it is the most suitable transplant target for "Pokémon" that emphasizes the fun of fighting. Therefore, if it gets technical support from Nintendo, it will definitely be more beneficial. Nintendo probably feels that Wanhui Media's
The game department is just a new studio in the industry and has little strength, so it is not taken seriously.
But it doesn’t matter. This year, 32-bit consoles such as 3DO, SS, and PS will be released one after another. Next-generation games with large capacity and high image quality will become the focus of discussion. GB games with no technical advantages will have their sales cut in half.
At that time, Nintendo will take the initiative to contact the Wanhui game department, hoping to port "Pokémon" to their console, so that with the fun of battle and strong IP, GB games can be brought back to the forefront.
Lin Zuhui is not worried about people piracy, because there are already 200 types of Pokémon in "Pokémon" and the copyrights have been sold to nearly 20 countries.
Zhou Kaiyang didn't know why, but he always felt that Lin Zuhui's potential was like a divination, and he was very convinced.
"Okay, in short, we will do research and development first, accumulate experience, and strive to achieve certain results as soon as possible."
Next, Lin Zuhui chatted with these software engineers. He had never eaten pork, but he had seen pigs running. Lin Zuhui was no stranger to games.
Currently, the three game project groups of Wanhui Game Department include handheld games (Pokémon), TV console games (Resident Evil), and computer stand-alone games (Legendary).
Of course, as long as these games are successfully developed, they can be easily transplanted to other formats.
Another advantage of the Wanhui Game Department is that Lin Zuhui can let Activision Blizzard's technical staff communicate and provide guidance with the Wanhui Game Department.
There is also Kingsoft Software in the Mainland, which can also organize exchange meetings.